Don’t Game the System
Politics and politicians have a bad image these days. And largely, it’s deserved.
That’s why some of the talk around Washington and Des Moines in the wake of last week’s election is rather silly, because it only reinforces why citizens don’t trust government.
U.S. Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have been on the court for some time; Alito for almost 21 years, Thomas for more than 35 years…in fact, Justice Thomas is the second-longest serving justice in history. Alito is 76 years old, while Thomas is 78. That fact alone has led to speculation the last few years about how much longer they’re each going to serve. Now, in the wake of the election, there’s renewed talk that one–or both–should immediately step aside so President Trump can get long-serving replacements approved while the GOP still has the majority in the Senate.
That’s a magnificently bad idea. Never mind the fact that many on the right have not been thrilled with the three justices Trump appointed in his first term–so he hardly has a track record to promote. But in what universe will the Senate–which has failed to do anything of substance in more than a year–be able to hold hearings and confirm a Supreme Court justice before January? Besides, that’s the kind of “we know better than you do” shenanigans that voters have come to hate…and with good reason.
Similarly, the cries from folks who say now that Iowa will have a Democrat as governor, Sen. Charles Grassley should step aside so a Republican governor can appoint the replacement. Given how many Democrats will be in the chamber already, that one vote will not be as crucial as if the balance were, say, 51-49. Why give up the experience and seniority for a political stunt? To his credit, Grassley says he wants no part of the scheme and has not ruled out running for another full term in 2028.
Another Grassley, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, properly threw cold water on another idea–namely, that the legislature should come back in special session and pass bills limiting the power of the state’s governor, to tie incoming governor Rob Sand’s hands. The Republican legislature in Wisconsin did this after the election. Speaker Grassley was right to take that off the table; there’s already enough backlash about a special session for a steel plant.
Playing games may be fun to talk about, but it undermines our system…and drives folks further away from the confidence they should have in it.
